ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute OBJECTIVES You will understand: 1. Semantic feature analysis 2. Semantic field analysis You will be able to: 1. Apply your understanding of semantic feature analysis and semantic field analysis to your teaching

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute INTRODUCTION Semantics is the study of the meanings of words, phrases and sentences. We have all had students who have made grammatically correct sentences that made absolutely no sense from a meaning perspective. Semantics addresses this. Semantics encompasses the word choices we make in order to convey the meaning that we want to convey. In the Semantics and Pragmatics module (3.2.3) we briefly introduced semantic features. In this module we will take a more in depth look at semantic features through semantic feature analysis and semantic field analysis.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute SEMANTIC FEATURE ANALYSIS Semantic features are the components of the meaning of a word that distinguish it from other words and other meanings. Semantic feature analysis, then, is an analysis that allows us to determine what is distinctive about a word to clarify its meaning and to understand the consequences of the features of the word on its grammatical performance. The premise of semantic feature analysis is that each word captures a particular meaning through the inclusion or exclusion of components or features. Words can be compared and contrasted by indicating the presence (+) or absence (-) of different features.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute The following are some possible meaning features to analyze, with an example of each: Singular versus plural (child versus children) Count versus non-count (coffee versus a cup of coffee) Human versus non-human (boy versus cub) Animate versus inanimate (boy versus table) Male versus female (uncle versus aunt) Young versus old or child versus adult (kitten versus cat) Rigid versus flexible (pole versus elastic) Liquid versus solid (water versus ice)

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute For example if we were to look at the words ‘desk’, ‘cat’, and ‘boy’, we might use the following features to start narrowing down the meanings of the words: Some researchers attempt to distinguish between features that affect the grammatical function of the word versus those that simply capture meaning. For the purposes of simplicity we will not make that distinction, since the distinction between the two is not as clear cut as some researchers would argue. If you look at the definition for any word in the dictionary, you will notice that the definition mostly consists of a list of the features of the word. Semantic features, then, can serve as a starting point for defining words.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute 1. SEMANTIC FEATURES Look at each group of words below. What is one feature that all of the words in the group have in common? A. pen, pencil, water bottle, cigarette B. sheet of paper, blanket, rug, mat C. pillow, marshmallow, ball of wool, a pile of hay D. flashlight, sun, laser, light bulb E. walk, run, crawl, amble, stroll F. children, cubs, geese, mice

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute As language teachers, semantic feature analysis is most useful when trying to demonstrate the differences among related words and among words that have very similar meanings. For example:

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute

2. SEMANTIC FEATURE ANALYSIS –Task Journal #2 A. Complete a semantic feature analysis of the following pairs of words, using at least four features for each pairing. The words may share one or more of the semantic features you choose, but there should be at least one feature that distinguishes the two words. B. Using your charts above as your starting point, write the exact words you would use to explain the similarities and differences between each of the above pairs of words to an intermediate class. i) ii) iii) iv)

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute SEMANTIC FIELD ANALYSIS Semantic feature analysis is used to highlight the distinguishing features of words. Semantic field analysis looks like a similar process, but it has a different purpose. In semantic field analysis we use features to show the relationships among lexical items within a field or domain (for example, pieces of furniture, kitchen utensils, and types of sports) with the purpose of showing how the items within a field or domain are different from each other. There are different ways to convey the results of a semantic field analysis. We can use a chart with +/- similar to that used in semantic feature analysis. We can use a tree diagram to show the hierarchy among the words. And we can use other types of charts.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Below are examples of two kinds of semantic field analysis charts.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute The limitation of both semantic feature analysis and semantic field analysis is that for each feature we have only an all or nothing choice. The feature is either present or not. This, however, does not necessarily capture the meanings of all words, as some words are characterized by a partial presence of a particular feature. Teachers need to be cognizant of this limitation, while at the same time recognizing the usefulness of both types of analysis as teaching tools.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute 3. SEMANTIC FIELD ANALYSIS – Task Journal #3 A. Complete a semantic field analysis of the following sets of words, using at least four features for each set. Two or more words may share one or more of the semantic features you choose, but each word should be distinguished from the other words by at least one of the features you select. Use the +/- system to illustrate your analysis.

ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute Complete 3B in your Task Journal. Task Journals can be submitted via to (preferred) or printed and handed in.